Freeport council reaffirms ethics ordinance after debate; motion to table fails

The Freeport City Council voted to approve Resolution 2025-2906 on March 3, 2025, reaffirming Ordinance 2024-2726, the city's ethics policy for elected and appointed officials and employees. The council approved the resolution after a failed motion to table and a subsequent vote to adopt the resolution.

The ordinance, adopted in 2024 with a training section added that year, must be reaffirmed annually. Human Resources Director Donna Fisher told the council the 2025 text contains no changes from the 2024 ordinance and staff recommended approval. "This is the annual reaffirmation of the ethics policy," Fisher said. "There have been no changes made to it for 2025, so it is just the annual reaffirmation, which is required by the ethics ordinance."

Councilman Pina moved to table the resolution; that motion failed and Councilman Matamoros later moved to approve the resolution, with a second from Councilman Rosso. The motion to approve carried; the clerk announced the result as "Motion carries 4 2 1." (Recorded votes by individual members were not read into the record in full during the roll call.)

Discussion during the item focused on enforcement authority and what constitutes a violation. Council members asked whether staff had received any reports that would constitute a breach of the ordinance. Fisher replied, "Nothing has been reported to me as a violation of that ordinance." Legal counsel, identified in the meeting as Olsen, also explained exceptions for agenda notice when recent information requires immediate attorney consultation: "This is an exception to that rule. So, I am obligated by my rules of professional responsibility to convey some information to you that I have received today. And so we are gonna consult with legal counsel and executive session so I can update counsel and answer questions about that matter," Olsen said.

During debate after the vote, Councilman Matamoros said he was aware of two council members who had not completed required Open Meetings Act training within the 90-day window after appointment or election, and he asked legal staff to pursue further review. "Those those 3 council members are Mayor Jerry Cain, council member Winston Rosso, and myself," Matamoros said when naming the three who had turned in certificates; he said two others were in violation of the 90-day requirement and urged legal follow-up.

The ordinance requires annual reaffirmation and includes provisions for handling alleged violations; Fisher told the council her office can investigate employee complaints but that she has no authority to sanction elected officials. "As HR director, I have no authority over y'all," Fisher said. That distinction featured in several exchanges about who can enforce the ordinance and whether the council itself would pursue legal or criminal referrals.

The council moved on to an executive session later in the meeting to consult with counsel about newly received information related to matters discussed in open session. The reaffirmation vote keeps the 2024 ethics ordinance in force while council members and staff pursue questions about training and enforcement processes.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes (02/18/2025): motion passed, announced as 3 to 2. - Resolution 2025-2906 (reaffirming Ordinance 2024-2726, ethics policy): motion to table failed; motion to approve passed, announced as "Motion carries 4 2 1."